Soft Power

The Means to Success in World Politics

Joseph Nye coined the phrase "soft power" to describe a nation's ability to attract and persuade. Whereas hard power - the ability to coerce - grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of its culture, political ideals and policies. Hard power remains crucial in a world of states trying to guard their independence and of non-state groups willing to turn to violence. But as a new administration - whether Republican or Democrat - maps out its foreign policy, Nye emphasizes the importance of husbanding our military power and nurturing our soft power. It is soft power that will help prevent terrorists from recruiting supporters from among the moderate majority. And it is soft power that will help the United States deal with critical global issues that require multilateral cooperation.